Dispensing container



Dec. 31, 1940,

c. c. CONWAY JR DISPENSING CONTAINER Filed July 11, 1939 I eh.

f/VVEA/TO P CC C C072 Patented Dec. 31, 1940 ICE DISPENSING CONTAINER Application July 11, 1939, Serial No. 283,917

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in containers, and more particularly to improvements in a sheet metal dredging container for dispensing spices or the like ma- 5 terials.

The invention generally concerns a container having an end portion which is provided with an opening therethrough. A friction plug is provided for closing the. opening in the container end and this plug is provided with sifting openings and with a pouring opening. A closure member in the form of a slide is mounted on the friction plug for sliding movement relative thereto, and this slide is adapted to move within pre-determined limits. In one position of the slide, the dispensing openings are covered and thus closed, and in other positions'of the slide, the sifting openings or the pouring opening mav be uncovered to permit the desired dispensing of the contents of the container.

An object of the present invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the friction plug can be readily applied and removed from the container end and wherein a minimum amount of resistance is offered to movement of the sliding closure member.

A further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the friction plug is formed from a single piece of metal having a fiat top surface and a depending skirt adapted to frictionally engage with the opening in the container end and wherein lugs are provided for limiting movement of the friction plug into the container end so as to'assure a freesliding connection between the closure member and the plug.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a container of the above type wherein the 40 friction plug is provided with lateral projections forming trackways to which a sliding closure member is connected by means of flanges.

The invention still further aims to provide a container of the above type which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is of relatively simple construction. a

The above and other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will be hereinafter more fully pointed out.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the container showing the closure member covering the dispensing openings.

Figure. 2 is a top plan view showing, in full lines, the closure member in position for permit- Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View taken i along the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawing, the container is illustrated as including a rectangular bodv portion Ill, although it is to be clearly understood that the body portion may be of any desired shape. An end portion II is secured to the body portion by means of the usual double seam l2 or the like. The container end H is provided with an opening and the metal around this opening is bent downwardly to form a depending friction wall I 3.

The friction plug [4 is formed from a single piece of sheet metal and is provided with a depending peripheral skirt portion [5 which frictionally engages the friction wall It on the container end II. The friction plug is substantially oblong in shape and the ends thereof are shaped by crimping or squeezing together the metal to provide outwardly extending lugs I6,

lfia which engage the outer surface of the container end H and thus serve to limit the extent to which the friction plug can be forced into the opening in the container end. The top surface of the friction plug is disposed slghtly above the surface of the container end II and is sub-" stantiallv flat. This top surface is provided with a group of sifting openings I! and with a relatively large pouring opening Hi. The sides of the friction plug M are shaped by crimping or squeezing together the metal to provide a plu-' rality of laterally and outwardly extending lugs l9, Illa: and the under surfaces-of these lugs are spaced slightly above the upper surface of the container end. II, as particularly shown in Figure 4. above, serve' to limit inward movement of the friction'plug and thus maintain the under surface of the lugs 19, 19a spaced above the container end II.

A closure member in the formof a slide 20 is connected to the friction plug M so that it will slide over the upper surface thereof. The closure member 20 is provided at the sides thereof with downwardly and inwardly curled edges 2|, 2m which extend around and engage the under surface 'of the lugs l9,'l9a, respectively. In this manner, the closure members 20 is mounted on the friction plug for sliding movement relative thereto. The ends of the closure member are curled to provide beads 22, 220, r

The end lugs I6, lfia, as indicated.

which serve as finger grips for shifting the closure member between the limits of its movement. The flat top surface of the friction plug I4 is provided with upstanding lugs 23, 230. adjacent the ends thereof. These upstanding lugs serve as stops and are adapted to engage beads 22, 22a, respectively, on the closure member for limiting the sliding movement thereof.

As shown in Figure 1, the closing surface of the closure member 20 is dimensioned so that it will cover the sifting openings l1 and the pouring opening [8 when the closure member is disposed midway between the stop lugs 23, 23a. When the closure member 20 is shifted to the position shown in Figure 2 with the. bead 22 abutting against the stop lug 23, the sifting openings I! will be uncovered to permit sifting of the contents of the container but the pouring opening I8- will remain covered and closed. Similarly, when the closure member 20 is shifted in the opposite direction with the bead 22a abutting against the stop lug 23a, the pouring opening it! will be uncovered and the sifting openings I! will becovered and closed. The lugs i9, l9ct on the friction plug [4 are spaced from one another, but this spacing is such that the depending curled flanges 2|, Zla on the closure member 29 will always engage at least two of the lugs I9, lea, respectively. This serves to prevent the closure member from being twisted relative to the friction plug.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the present invention provides a dispensing container wherein the lugs l9, 19a on the friction plug provide trackways with which the flanges 2|, 2la on the closure member engage. The spaced lugs l9, |9a serve to reduce the frictional resistance offered to the sliding movement of the closure member 20. The lugs l6, lBa serve to limit inward movement of the friction plug relative to the container end I! so as to maintain the under surfaces of the lugs l9, [9a spaced above the container end. It is to be further noted that the lugs on the friction plug serve as a convenient means for permitting the use of a prying instrument to remove the entire friction plug when it is desired to remove the contents of the container by a spoon.

It is to be clearly understood that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispensing container comprising a body portion, an end secured to said body portion and having an opening therethrough with the metal surrounding the opening shaped to provide a friction wall, a friction plug fitting. within'and engaging the friction wall for closing the opening and having dispensing openings formed therein, said friction plug having the sides thereof shaped to provide a plurality of outwardly extending spaced lugs and having lugs at the ends thereof engaging said container end to maintain the bottom surfaces of said spaced lugs disposed above the said container end, and

a closure member having depending flanges at the sides thereof engaging said spaced lugs at the sides of said friction plug and curled beneath the bottom surfaces thereof whereby to slidably connect the closure member to said friction plug, the spacing of said lugs at the sides of said friction plug and the length of said flanges being dimensioned so that the flanges on the closure member will always engage at least two of the lugs at the sides of said friction plug whereby to prevent twisting of the closure member relative to the friction plug.

2. A dispensing container comprising a body portion, an end secured to said body portion and having an opening therethrough with the metal surrounding the opening shaped to provide a friction wall, a friction plug fitting within and engaging the friction wall for closing the opening and having dispensing openings formed therein, said friction plug having the sides thereof shaped to provide a plurality of outwardly extending spaced lugs with the bottom surfaces of said lugs disposed above the said end, and a closure member having depending flanges at the sides thereof engaging said lugs and curled beneath the bottom surfaces thereof whereby to slidably connectthe closure member to said friction plug, the spacing of said lugs and the length of said flanges being dimensioned so that the flanges on theclosure member will alwaysengage at least two of the lugs on said friction plug whereby to prevent twisting of the closure member relative to the friction plug.

3. A dispensing container comprising a body portion, an end secured to said body portion and having an opening therethrough with the metal surrounding the opening shaped to provide afriction wall, a friction plug fitting within and engaging the friction wall for closing the opening, and having sifting openings and a pouring opening formed therein, said friction plug havingthe. sides thereof shaped .to provide a plurality of outwardly extending spaced lugs with the bottom surfaces of said lugs disposed above the said end, and a closure member for controlling the dispensing openings and having depending flanges at the sides thereof engaging said lugs and curled beneath the bottom surfaces thereof whereby to slidably connect the closure member to said friction plug, the spacing of said lugs and the length of said flanges being dimensioned so that the flanges on the closure member will always engage at least two of the lugs on said friction plug whereby to prevent twisting of'the closure member relative to the friction plug, said closure member being shaped so as to cover the sifting openings and the pouring opening in the intermediate position thereof and being adapted to uncover the sifting openings when shifted in one direction and being adapted to uncover the pouring opening when shifted in another direction.

4. A dispensing container comprising a body portion, an end secured to said body portion and having an opening therethrough with the metal surrounding the opening shaped to provide a friction wall, a friction plug fitting within and engaging the friction wall for closing the opening, and having sifting openings and a pouring opening formed therein, said friction plug having the sides ythereof shaped to provide'a plurality of outwardly extending spaced lugs with the bottom surfaces of said lugs disposed above the said end, and a closure member for controlling the dispensing openings and having depending flanges at the sides thereof engaging said lugs and curled beneath the bottom surfaces thereof whereby to slidably-connect the closure member to said frictionf pl ug, the spacing of said lugs and the length of said flanges being dimensioned so that the flanges on the closure member will always engagejatleast two of the lugs on said friction plug whereby to prevent twisting of the the pouring opening when shifted in another direction, and upstanding stop shoulders on said friction plug adjacent the ends thereof for limit-' ing movement of said closure member in either direction.

OARLE C. CONWAY, JR. 

